#2944 "On Watch Meadowlark"

There will be five paintings of the Eastern Meadowlark (so far): #2854 "Eastern Meadowlark"; #2942 "Meadowlark Silent Spring"; #2943 "Happy As A Lark"; #2944 "On Watch Meadowlark"; and #2945 "Eastern Meadowlark Sing Loud".

#2944 "On Watch Meadowlark" 
18x14 inches oils on smooth cradled panel
Started May 2nd, 2025

This Eastern Meadowlark was looking intently over its left shoulder. It was not singing. All birds have good reason to be wary of the activities of humans... especially politicians. This post is for those without a voice. 

Bird populations have been decimated in just 50 years. Politicians wish to further weaken or remove the laws designed to protect our feathered friends. Ontario Premier Ford has systematically employed the pandemic, the housing crisis, and now U.S. tariffs to weaken or remove environmental safeguards that protect water, wildlife and human health.  

Doug Ford’s Bill 5 would let insider developers bypass Ontario’s laws, including those designed to protect the environment and public safety. This is not democracy. This policy of greed continues to fuel the 6th Mass Extinction currently raging around the planet. 

Politics has evolved into a lobbyist game for the wealthy. Passionate and honest people wishing to be elected to work for the people's welfare (including the environment) have been replaced by pawns repaying their influential sponsors for getting them a patronage career for life. 

Power does corrupt. Nature and the environment do not have a voice in either politics or the economy, and that is a major flaw that must be corrected. 

Grassland birds in particular are in crisis. As a broad group, birds that live in Canada's grasslands have declined by 67% since 1970. Some, like Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspur, have declined by over 95%. There's no question that these birds are in serious trouble. The biggest threat to Canada's grassland birds is the destruction and degradation of the native grasslands they need. Urgent action to conserve their habitat is needed to save these species. 

In Canada, 36% of songbird species have experienced a population decline since 1970. Specifically, 168 species have seen their populations decrease. 

Ontario's Eastern Meadowlark population has declined by 82% between 1970 and 2025. If I extend these calculations using the observed annual decline rate of 3%, the remaining Eastern Meadowlarks will be reduced to 11% of the 1970 population by 2040. That assumes that the impacts of global warming and human activities remain unchanged. Both of these assumptions are blindly generous given the actions of politicians in the Americas. Ontario’s proposed Bill 5 “would end Endangered Species protection and attack clean energy” effectively overriding local protections in communities across Ontario

At what population density does the species simply disappear? This sad story is reminiscent of the 1955 novel by Fred Bodsworth. "Last of the Curlews". That book remains an important read!

Meadowlark whistles are rare events now, at least for me. My Dad shared some of his wisdom. He once said, "Only worry about yourself" when I was troubled by what I thought was unethical behaviour of those in our community. He was correct, but I still feel compelled to speak for those without a voice, like nature and the environment. The evil actions of corrupt profiteering politicians must be resisted. Deeds speak louder than empty  political slogans.

This is the second of the Eastern Meadowlark series on 18x14-inch cradled smooth panels. 

As I have mentioned before, I use these posts not just for art but to learn more about the science. Art and science are compatible. Being an eternal student keeps life interesting. 

Two clean palettes still being used to keep my oils clean... You might notice two masking tape
bar codes on my easel above the painting. #2943 was very wet, so I selected another smooth panel to work on in front the the cheery wood stove. Singleton was still under the cold low and that's a great place to be with global warming.

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick